This birth is considered a true success story as breeding of this delicate species represents quite a challenge

The penguin colony at Loro Parque has recently welcomed a new family member as a Chinstrap penguin chick was born in PlanetPenguin. This birth is considered a real success as it is a very delicate penguin species, which poses quite a challenge in its breeding.

The chick was born weighing 88 grams and spent its first days in a hatcher of BabyPenguin where it was hand-reared. At this time, the penguin chick received 10% of its weight in blended fish, as well vitamins and calcium. During its first month and a half, the chick receives this formula five times a day every three hours; then this frequency is reduced to two meals a day, after which the young penguin starts eating solid food.

Presently, the chinstrap penguin chick weighs 736 grams and has already started the integration process by adapting to its new environment until it is fully integrated with the rest of the penguins at Loro Parque.

Chinstrap penguins inhabit the shore waters of the Antarctic Ocean; they are a medium size (46-61 centimeters) and weigh between 5 and 8 kilos. They are able to dive up to 70 meters deep, and their diet is mainly based on Antarctic krill, although they can also eat fish and other crustaceans whenever these are available.

This new addition to the penguin colony, along with four other rockhopper penguin chicks, promises yet another successful year at the penguinarium of Loro Parque. The birth of new chicks is, above all, a good indicator of adequate animal welfare as it demonstrates that all the necessities of the animals are effectively and properly covered, and they can reproduce normally.

Loro Parque considers every single detail when it comes to animal care. In PlanetPinguin not only that their natural habitat is recreated, with 12 tons of snow generated daily, but also the Antarctic light cycles are respected all throughout the year. Presently, the penguin family at Loro Parque is enjoying the polar summer with plenty of light and longer days than in winter.

We will be opening dues renewal for the 2018 calendar year beginning on November 1, 2017. If you are new to IAAAM and join between November 1 and December 31, 2017, you will also receive complimentary membership for the rest of 2017, so no need to wait until January to renew.

As you hopefully have heard, there is a slight increase in dues for next year with full membership increasing from $75 to $85 and student membership increasing from $40 to $45.

The increase will be used to offset increased expenditures for accounting software with on line access for officers and accountant, a business mailbox enabling IAAAM to maintain a permanent physical address not associated with an officer's facility, Increases in officer/association liability insurance, increases in cost to maintain website and credit card transactions, and to cover cancellation and liability insurance for the annual conference.

Jay D. Hyman, DVM, passed away August 1, 2017. He was a beloved son, father, brother, husband and generous philanthropist. He endowed a chair for Wildlife Health at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, supported and helped curate exhibits at Cornell's Johnson Museum of Art. He was a founding member of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine and the major initial donor for the IAAAM Medway Award. He supported the Touch the Jungle/Earthways Foundation, and the Cornell Esbaran Field Laboratory. He founded the Society for the Advancement of Latin American Arts and supported the Palm Beach Zoo as well as many other charities. He was a member of the Explorers Club. He showed us all how to conquer adversity. He will be remembered for his courage, dedication, adventurous spirit and love of life.

Neylan Anthony Vedros

Professor Emeritus, Medical Microbiology and Immunology,University of California at Berkeley, School of Public HealthVedros Biosciences Laboratories

Dr. Neylan Vedros, a long-time member of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, a world-renown microbiologist, and a dear friend and colleague passed away in Healdsburg, CA in late June 2017 at the age of 87.

Born in the bayous of Louisiana, Neylan was the epitome of grace and class. He had an intellectual curiosity that infused his collaborative and diverse scientific research. His earliest research in the 1970s, while stationed at the Naval Bioscience Laboratory in Oakland, CA, focused on meningococcal disease in humans and established a Neisseria Reference Center for the World Health Organization.

During the 1970s, he also became enamored with marine mammals and the marine environment, publishing manuscripts on San Miguel sea lion virus and leptospirosis in pinnipeds, as well as examining antiviral substances in California marine algae, and calicivirus (SMSV-5) infections in opaleye fish.

He expanded his marine mammal work in the 1980s and 1990s, working with Ocean Park in Hong Kong and DolphinQuest in Hawaii, developing quantitative assays for determination of immune system health in bottlenose dolphins, as well as investigating pharmacokinetics in healthy bottlenose dolphins, and designing a polysaccharide vaccine against Pasteurella multocida for sea lions, fur seals, and dolphins.

After his retirement from UCB in 1991, he founded Vedros Biosciences Laboratories, where he created and marketed topical demulcents for use on viral and inflammatory skin diseases, in particular, topical dermatological products, such as medicated shampoos, and skin and hair lotions for use on domestic animals, reptiles, birds, and horses.

I met Neylan nearly 40 years ago when I tracked him down at UCB to ask him questions and work in his lab (gratis) investigating leptospirosis in California sea lions. Our first meeting initiated a long-term friendship and collaboration with him, his family, and his laboratory. I was honored to housesit his dog, fish, and birds at his Alameda, CA water-front home, when he and his wonderful wife Beryl, were away on travel. My husband and I saw both Neylan and Beryl at their home in Healdsburg, CA in summer 2015, and were happy to see he retained his jovial humor and his pipe-smoking professorial demeanor!

He was a member of the American Society of Microbiology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, where he served as IAAAM President from 1985-1986.

His creative wit, his humor, and his collaborative spirit will be sorely missed.

The IAAAM Board mourns the passing of past IAAAM President Dr. Rhonda Ann Patterson in May 2017. Our thoughts are with her family and friends. The family has asked that friends “Please Pay Her Gifts Forward in Your Lives!”

A scholarship fund in Dr. Patterson’s name has been established at Western Kentucky University. Information on contributing to this fund may be obtained from Jessica Carver, College Heights Foundation, WKU, 1906 College Heights Blvd, #41016, Bowling Green, KY 42101.

Rhonda's Biography

Rhonda Ann Patterson was born September 19, 1965 in Carthage, Missouri to Ronald Ray and Patricia Ann Patterson. The family settled in St. Louis, MO where Rhonda graduated from Pattonville Senior High School in 1983, then graduated from the University of Missouri, earning a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Animal Sciences, in 1987.

Rhonda entered the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS set on earning her Master of Science with a study of echolocation in marine mammals, specifically dolphins, working in conjunction with the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, MS and the US Navy in San Diego, CA. Unfortunately, when the dolphin she was working with became ill and died, Rhonda was advised to direct her studies towards a doctorate thereby skipping the Master’s program. She earned her Doctorate of Microbiology with a specific interest in Immunology from Southern Miss in 1998 continuing her research with the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and the US Navy, helping them diagnose diseases in their dolphins and determine strategies to produce antibodies to protect them in their high-stress work environments in oceans through the world.

As a member and officer of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, Dr. Patterson traveled extensively including trips to Australia and New Zealand. She served as President of IAAAM in 2005 – 2006. Recognized for her expertise in working with marine mammals, she presented papers at conferences in Holland and Portugal as well as sites throughout the United States. Additionally, she collaborated with the research staffs of The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, AK.

Dr. Patterson began teaching at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Fall 2005. During her tenure at WKU, she taught classes in the biological sciences on South Campus as well as on Main Campus. Barren River Area Safe Space recognized Dr. Patterson and her students in March 2009 for collecting hundreds of cell phones and chargers for their recycling program to help victims of domestic violence. This was an ongoing project that meant a lot to Dr. Patterson. She was also instrumental in establishing the Women in Transition (WIT) program which provides computer resources and scholarships to assist nontraditional female students.

In her late 20s, Dr. Patterson was diagnosed with Essential Tremors which typically involves a tremor of the arms, hands or fingers but sometimes involves the head, vocal cords or other body parts during voluntary movements such as eating and writing. Although only fifty-one when she passed away, she had experienced increasing difficulty resulting from the tremors which were unsuccessfully treated with medication. The KY Department of Agriculture approved her mini-farm, equipment and sheep to use for producing antibodies necessary in her research but this dream had to be abandoned when the tremors affected her manual dexterity. Teaching was always her first love, and now she focused all her knowledge and energy on her students.

Some of the comments from students include, “Thank you so much for being a fantastic biology professor. . . Thank you for your patience, passion, and willingness to help. . . I didn’t have Dr. Patterson but many of my friends did, and said that she was a terrific teacher, always willing to help, was patient and kind. . . She will be greatly missed.”

Rhonda passed away on May 19, 2017, at her home in Brownsville, KY. Besides her mother, Patricia Streng, she is survived by her sister, Elizabeth Schneider (Steve) of Kansas City, MO; brother, David Patterson (Vickie) of Austin, TX; four nieces, Erin Zimmerman (Tim), Meredith Schneider, Marilyn Robinson, Priscilla Robinson; and one nephew, Ian Schneider.